Wednesday, 13 December 2017

The Walking Dead: Room for Improvement...

BE WARNED: the following contains spoilers for The
Walking Dead up to (and including) the mid-season finale for Season 8.

Also: excuse the length of this article, but I have
broken it down into segments. Bear with me.

Call this an 'open letter' or a train of thoughts written down or whatever you fancy, but suffice it to say The Walking Dead has caught some flack in the last couple of years and made some missteps. Here I address some of the bad - as well as landmark moments of good - that the show has represented on screen, with a few possible fixes. TWD is one of the best shows on television, but there is room for improvement...

SEASON SEVEN
WOBBLES

The seventh season of AMC's thunderously successful zombie
show caught a lot of flack. Some balked at the violence in the première
episode, although to be quite honest, what were they expecting?! Having your
head smashed in with a baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire is going to leave
quite a mark. Did they forget the geysers of blood that gushed from slit
throats in the season five première? Or how about the countless scenes of flesh
eating, zombie slaying, bullet-spraying carnage that has been a staple of The
Walking Dead since the get-go?

The main criticism of the seventh season however, was with
the overall structure and pacing. All too often major characters went absent
for several episodes at a time as Scott Gimple and his writers opted to focus
on one contained story after another. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't.
The first half of Season 7 sums up the issue quite well: after the
Lucille-swinging première (one of the finest episodes of TWD's entire
run) we are introduced to The Kingdom, Sanctuary, and then Oceanside all
within five episodes – each with a procession of new characters whose names,
faces, and allegiances we struggled to remember. Basically, it was too much to
take in and our long-running show started to feel unfamiliar. Although, I will
say that 7x02 – the introduction of The Kingdom – was a very good episode,
handling Shiva and King Ezekiel perfectly (especially how Carol – and we the
viewers – were clued-in to the real Ezekiel by the end of the episode).

Some folks didn't like that Team Rick were under Negan's
thumb. “Just kill him already!” they screamed, which was ironic
considering that if they did that then it would be the exact same case of
'rinse & repeat' that the most ardent complainers accused the show of
committing, when comics readers know that All Out War is an entirely different
conflict to what we've seen before with the likes of Woodbury, Terminus, or
even The Claimers. To be fair to Gimple & Co, a little patience was
required from the audience – drama and tension aren't derived from getting what
you want immediately, after all! You don't enjoy the thrill of getting the gang
back together in 7x08 without going through a period of separation and
subjugation. Resolution can't come five minutes down the road, or even next
week!

Let's fast forward to Season 8 and how the structural
problems were being faced head-on according to Scott Gimple, Greg Nicotero, and
the cast as they headed into Comic-Con 2017. Now, certainly, there have been
some structural improvements compared to the seventh season: We've not gone for
long periods of time without seeing certain characters generally, although,
yes, Negan, Michonne, and Rosita all went missing from the screen for three or
four weeks in 'viewer time' (likely because of scheduling issues and the
other commitments of a popular and in-demand cast). Meanwhile, the
propensity to focus too much on a single “A Story” at the expense of any “B”
and “C” stories taking place with other groups in other locations has been
limited in Season 8A – but they can definitely go further...

Click "READ MORE" below to continue **SPOILERS UP TO 8x08 AHEAD** ...

TIME WAITS FOR NO
MAN

But one notable issue with storytelling remains – time
constraints, by which I mean: stories taking place over short periods of time
in the TWD universe itself. Now, it absolutely makes sense that all of
8A has taken place over roughly 48 to 72 hours because it would be entirely
nonsensical for days or even weeks to pass between episodes amidst the heated
beginnings of All Out War. That said, considering the 'siege of Sanctuary' plot
line, could we not have had some more time pass while Negan & Co were
locked up inside, thus adding credence to the bubbling frustrations of Tara and
Daryl? Naturally, this would have affected other plot lines (such as that
for Father Gabriel), but alternative paths could be found. However, more
than half of Season 6 took place over 24 to 48 hours, and the events of Season
7 occurred over a matter of a few weeks – this explains why Maggie is only just
entering her second trimester.

The problem with condensed time frames for telling a story
though, is that it limits your options. A more unique example would be the show
24, which occurred in real time (one episode equalled one hour of
Jack Bauer's life, with a season acting as a single day), and as such there
were certain things the writers couldn't do because of the constraints of their
storytelling structure. The Walking Dead isn't beholden to such a
drastically strict time frame, but Gimple & Co regularly don't give
themselves enough freedom to move, occasionally boxing themselves into corners.
Inserting the passage of more time between episodes, and even within individual
episodes, could offer up new storytelling avenues. Seeing TWD's stories told within such a tight time frame can, ironically, draw certain events out over too long a period of time. It may work well in a boxset binge viewing context, but the primary focus must be the usual week-to-week structure. It may be a matter of hours for the characters, but for the viewers it has been a matter of weeks.

STRAIGHT THINKING

Logic is another area where The Walking Dead has
stumbled recently. A prime example is in 8x01 when Negan swans about without
any cover. Now, comic fans will have known that Negan wasn't going to get
popped at that moment, but considering that Team Rick had major cover (unlike
in the comics where sodding everybody stood around in the open), Negan
should have had some form of cover when talking with Rick. Perhaps he could
have hidden behind valuable individuals like Eugene or Dwight? That would have
easily swept aside any potential cries of “why didn't they just shoot
Negan?!” from the insta-complaint factory that is Twitter. In practise it
only served to distract from the good work being done elsewhere.

Indeed, there are various instances of logic gaps – be it an
unarmoured Jeep managing to catch up to an enemy vehicle despite being riddled
with .50 calibre gunfire, or Simon not capturing Maggie “the widow” in 8x08, or
hardened survivors doing silly things for selfish reasons (but at least
Michonne and Rosita stepped down … shame they didn't fight harder to convince
Tara and Daryl, and that Rosita seemed to forgive Tara so easily a mere matter
of hours later). Genre fare is always going to require an amount of belief
to be suspended, but these and other blatantly sloppy moments need to be weeded
out at script stage, especially when they contradict things said or seen in
other episodes.

YOUR WORLD IS
ABOUT TO GET A WHOLE LOT BIGGER

It's also no secret that the show has become unwieldy – the
voluminous cast has meant that some big players have been sidelined while fan
favourite supporting characters from the comics have been shafted (Heath,
for example, last seen all-too-briefly in 7x06 – with nobody in Alexandria
seeming to give much of a bollocks about his disappearance). The large cast
of characters is also a problem in the comics. Beyond the big, recognisable,
long-running characters, you often struggle to know who's who and what their
history is. Every show needs red shirted cannon fodder – TWD especially,
what with All Out War in full swing – but, as seen in 8x08, you can't just
shove in “Neil” (the guy sitting behind Maggie, who is killed by Simon)
or “Dean” (the Saviour that Maggie executes) and expect anyone watching
to care much. We do need to give life and recognition to the bit parts and
recurring roles, but it needs to be done right: Morgan's plot line at The
Kingdom with the young guy, his little brother, and the man desperate to go to
war being such an example. That meant that 7x13 was one of the most deeply
rewarding – and devastating – episodes of TWD history. The writers need
to find ways to utilise the supporting players to make them more useful to the
main characters on the show and be more memorable to the viewers, but not just
solely for the purpose of killing them off.

Speaking of the large cast, the less said about 'The
Heapsters' and their sub-par Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome stylings, the
better. I don't outright despise them, but I don't miss them one iota when
they're not on screen because they stick out like a sore thumb. Gimple & Co
would do well to regularly return to the very first episode to use it as a
guide of what is and isn't suitable. Incredibly, they managed to make Shiva
work on-screen (even Robert Kirkman didn't believe they'd do it), but
the Heapsters feel so disjointed with their clipped lingo and nude sculpture
sessions, as if parachuted in from some dodgy B-movie.

LOOKING NICE

I do enjoy flashbacks, flash forwards, and 'ethereal events'
– like episode 5x09 where we experienced Tyreese's demise 'from the inside',
which gave us emotional heft, narrative callbacks, and something a little
different for a change – but Gimple & Co need to be careful not to get too
clever in the edit suite and tip over into confusion (or even pretentiousness:
too many 'moody close up' montages recently).

Indeed, the 'out-of-time
elements' in 8x01 didn't continue throughout the rest of Season 8's first half,
so as a result they felt somewhat out-of-place. The 'dream' of 'Old Man Rick' (which
featured Carl) is, to be fair, an established gimmick (remember the
'perfect day' dream in Season 7 which featured Glenn and Abraham as the whole
group ate lunch outdoors in a thriving Alexandria?), but you play with fire
in these instances.

They risk appearing to be merely manipulating the audience,
indeed, the 'Glenn under the dumpster' plot line in Season 6 was ultimately
enjoyable, but saw the show pushing its credibility with the audience to the
absolute limit. Trying to outwit the comics readers with smarty pants red
herrings is a dangerous game that can negatively impact on everyone's fun quite
easily.

NEW BLOOD,
STREAMLINING, SPIN-OFFS, AND COMMERCIAL THINKING

Generally the show could benefit from an injection of some
new, talented blood behind-the-scenes, and frankly a reduction from 16 to 12
episodes would help dispel some inevitable filler that tends to befall most
shows. That was quite evident in Season 7, but has been less evident here in
Season 8A – although, again, the condensed time frame has hindered the speed at
which the overall story can progress, which has evidently frustrated
some viewers.

Another thing TWD could benefit from is re-thinking
the model for commercials. I've read many viewer complaints about the sheer
number of adverts placed within an episode, not to mention their frequency. A
“ninety minute episode” really means sixty-three minutes of actual
programme. It would be better to insert fewer (but longer) advert
breaks, as constantly butting into a viewer's good time will only act as a pain
in the arse which spoils the whole endeavour. Such self-inflicted damage is a
foolish act on AMC's part – they should be bold and change how they implement
commercial breaks to lessen the negative impact on viewers' enjoyment.

Also, entirely separating The Walking Dead from Fear
The Walking Dead – for the key creatives of each show to be wholly distinct
entities – would stop any 'brain drain' impacting on the main show. Even a single
minute of a TWD creative's time spent on the spin-off show is a minute
too long.

DEVIATION

Now, that event in episode 8x08, the impending death
of Carl from a walker bite … it has struck like a lightning bolt into the
audience with a wide variety of reactions (some of them quite vitriolic, seeing the choice as just a cynical stunt to boost ratings). Personally, I'm utterly divided on this issue. I understand
where Gimple is going with this, considering the context of what is coming up
in the remainder of All Out War, but such a bold move is exceedingly dangerous and casts a large shadow of impending ramifications
(and the awkward murkiness behind the scenes, as touched upon in several
articles by The Hollywood Reporter, leaves a sour taste in the mouth).

There have been major derivations from the comics before: previous show runner
Glen Mazzara oversaw the very early exit of Andrea (whose character arc was
… problematic), and yet Carol – who was a fairly naff (and short-lived)
character in the comics – has turned out to be one of the show's biggest
successes: a detailed and rich character, wonderfully played, and beloved by
fans. How the death of Carl affects things moving forward remains to be seen.
Frankly, I feel the comics wouldn't benefit from 'hundreds' more issues
as Kirkman has said he wants, and similarly the TV show must, surely, be nearer
its end than its beginning. Two more seasons (for an even ten) – fixing
all the above issues – would let the show go out with a bang, rather than a
whimper.

WHAT TO DO, WHAT
TO DO

So what can AMC, show runner Scott Gimple, and everyone else
involved in The Walking Dead do? Well, keep listening to the fans, enact
constructive criticism, address concerns, and most importantly of all understand
what the fans mean. Yes, the pacing of Season 7 was all screwed up, but simply
throwing in a load of action in 8A isn't quite the right answer. By all
means, we want action, but we also want to feel the whole story moving
forward at a reasonable rate while still paying attention to the meat on the
bones, which is what creates those pulse-pounding and heart-breaking moments we
all love. Episode 4x14 (“The Grove”) directly built upon the previous
thirteen in regards to Lizzie, but the foundations reached all the way back to
Season 1 (and most specifically the heartbreaking events of 2x07 when Sofia
emerged from the barn as a walker).

AMC, Gimple, et al would be wise not to 'pull a Warner
Bros.' (see: Justice League) and make a panicked hash of moving into the show's
final years. Cool heads taking legitimate, balanced criticism on board in order to deploy sensible solutions is what we need.

We don't want gimmicks (Morgan's move to the spin-off show) and we don't want to go out with a whimper. Nor do we want a
Frankenstein's monster of over-correction and corporate-level second-guessing.
And, for goodness sake - don't kill Rick Grimes - (as certain theories
go) because losing the key theme of a father shepherding his son through
the zombie apocalypse and into manhood is impactful enough! We entered the
world of The Walking Dead alongside Rick Grimes, so the least we viewers
should expect is to also leave the world of The Walking Dead alongside
Rick Grimes.

It's easy to feel negative about something that you love if you
surround yourself with negative observations that completely ignore all the
good (a warped view inevitably results from clickbait articles feigning shock at ratings and the confirmation bias of opinion echo chambers). And yet, if you ignore the flash-in-the-pan attention-seeking of the pissiest of Social Media rage-aholics, you will see that season 8A has shown us things which contradict some of the above issues that I have raised:
the organisation and execution of Rick's plan (8x01) was impressive, the
last stand of Shiva (8x04) was glorious and shiver-inducing, and the
loss of Eric (8x03, albeit troubled by the character's relative lack of
screen time) was one of the most emotionally weighty send-offs, which
brought back some of the humanity in losing a loved one to the walkers (see
also: Amy's demise and resurrection in Season 1).

Furthermore, the
Soviet-like paranoia of a potential power vacuum within the Sanctuary (8x05)
offered rich themes, powerful performances, and much satisfying meat to chew
on, and the return of Morales (8x02-8x03) provided enough (justified) shock, surprise, and
murky ethics to fill your belly, and – as one more positive example – the
troubled waters of the Rick/Daryl brotherhood continues to gift us bromance and
ideological conflict. There are many more examples of things that Season 8A
(and Season 7) succeeded at, and it's all-too-easy to allow issues (some
big, some relatively minor) to gain disproportionate traction and miss all the great things that continue to be put on screen, but at the
same time you must point out what is either not working or could use some improvement.

So there we go, just some thoughts blurted onto the digital
page – and please excuse the long-winded nature of this piece, but I fancied
expressing a few ideas, concerns, frustrations, positives, and hopes.

About Me

I am a British freelance filmmaker, as well as a writer, movie fanatic, and zombie obsessive. I am the author of "Dug Deep" and the "Celebrityville" series of books, and write for Sleaze Fiend Magazine and Homepage of the Dead. I'm the screenwriter for the upcoming film "For Want of a Nail".
Of the many filmmakers who influence me, some are: Romero, Raimi, Carpenter, Cameron, Fincher, Tarantino, Rodriguez, Kubrick, Boyle, Zombie, Martino, Fulci, Argento, Cronenberg, Marshall, Smith, Nolan, Dominik, Scott, Mann, Hooper, De Palma, Leone, Spielberg and Zemeckis.